Related Articles

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA— U.S. President Barack Obama has arrived in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the last stop on his three-nation tour of Africa. Mr. Obama will hold talks with his Tanzanian counterpart Jakaya Kikwete, and will continue his push to improve business ties with Africa’s booming economies.

“Obamamania” - that’s the headline of Tanzania’s Citizen newspaper Monday as the country welcomes the arrival of the U.S. president.

Obama’s portrait decorates the lampposts throughout the city, along with the Swahili greeting "Karibu Tanzania."

Residents of the city lined the streets coming from the airport to catch a glimpse of the presidential motorcade.

Boniface Deogratius, a student at Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology, has high hopes for Obama’s visit.

“We are just preparing ourselves to welcome him and even to share things together with the people from the United States, economically, socially, so we can move forward for the country,” he said.

Tanzania is among the biggest recipients of U.S. foreign assistance, much of it from a $700 million compact for infrastructure development from the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

But the U.S. president is hoping to increase private investment in the country. Tanzania's economy is growing at a 7 percent annual rate, and hopes to benefit from recent natural gas discoveries off the coast.

Obama is holding a roundtable discussion with African and American business leaders, as he continues to lobby for increased trade with African countries.

U.S. investment in Africa is falling behind China, which says trade with the continent reached nearly $200 billion last year.

Chinese companies have a substantial presence in Tanzania, holding contracts for road construction and projects to improve the port of Dar es Salaam.

Obama’s trip to Tanzania comes four months after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the country, soon after being elected.

Amedeus Shayo, who is among those waiting to see the presidential motorcade, says he thinks competition with China was a major factor in Obama’s decision to visit.

“China has overtaken the United States in Africa. Honestly saying, I’ve been reading all the news, I’ve seen all the investments that are happening here, it’s just because China has taken this country,” says Shayo.

Obama traveled to Tanzania from South Africa, where, in a major speech in Cape Town, he announced the United States will contribute $7 billion to a new initiative called Power Africa, which the president said seeks to double access to power in sub-Saharan Africa.

Tanzania is one of the countries targeted by the program. Obama is expected to speak more about the initiative on Tuesday, during a scheduled visit to Tanzania’s Ubungo power plant on the last day of his Africa tour.

U.S. President Barack Obama heads a soccer ball at Ubungo Power Plant in Dar es Salaam, July 2, 2013. The ball called a "soccket ball" has internal electronics that allows it to generate and store electricity that can power small devices.

U.S. First lady Michelle Obama walks with Salma Kikwete, wife of Tanzania's president, during a departure ceremony in Dar es Salaam, July 2, 2013.

U.S. President Barack Obama and former president George W. Bush (left) attend a memorial for the victims of the 1998 U.S. embassy bombing in Dar es Salaam, July 2, 2013.

U.S. President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, and Tanzanian first lady Salma Kikwete wave as they arrive at State House in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, July 1, 2013.

President Barack Obama and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete walk in front of Michelle Obama and Salma Kikwete as they arrive at the State House in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, July 1, 2013.

Young girls and women wear the khanga, a traditional wrap, with the image of U.S. President Barack Obama as they line up to greet him at the State House, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, July 1, 2013.

U.S. President Barack Obama writes in a guest book as he tours Robben Island with first lady Michelle Obama, near Cape Town, June 30, 2013.

U.S. President Barack Obama departs the Robben Island prison cell where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment near Cape Town, June 30, 2013.

U.S. President Barack Obama listens to Desmond Tutu as he visits his HIV Foundation Youth Center and takes part in a health event in Cape Town, June 30, 2013.

U.S. President Barack Obama greets participants at a town hall-style meeting with young African leaders at the University of Johannesburg in Soweto, June 29, 2013.

Members of the White House traveling staff walk to a group of helicopters about to transport U.S. President Barack Obama from a soccer field in Johannesburg, June 29, 2013.

Protesters argue with police outside the University of Johannesburg in Soweto, ahead of a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama, June 29, 2013.

U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama look out of a doorway that slaves departed from on Goree Island, Senegal, June 27, 2013.

U.S. President Barack Obama visits a food security expo in Dakar, Senegal, June 28, 2013.

People line the motorcade route of U.S. President Barack Obama on his way to meet with Senegalese President Macky Sall in Dakar, June 27, 2013.

Once built, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge will span 2 kilometers with about 1.5 kilometers over water, and will be longest suspension bridge in world carrying rail system More

This forum has been closed.

Comment Sorting

Comments

by: Juma from: Morogoro-Tanzania

July 05, 2013 1:34 AM

I hope there is more than business it self, the issue of democracy and human right also influence Obama in Tanzania but this not only what is on American mind, in fact they have a long term in their mind is themselves they will heartfelt declare whats up, only time will discover the truth

by: Andrew Msunga from: Dar es salaam - TANZANIA

July 01, 2013 5:47 PM

President Obama and invite traders older Americans to come and invest in transportation, yet Tanzania we hangaiika in obtaining reliable transportation, rail our are obsolete, yet also commuter buses in major cities such as Dar es Salaam, people are struggling even though we have the Indian Ocean which would reduce congestion. TANZANIA AND FEEL WELCOME YOU HOME

by: joab from: kampala

July 01, 2013 11:30 AM

I don't think china have already overtaken USA trade in Africa, if its true its very unfortunate. for me i have been in Tanzania for five years, the Chinese are doing porter works, they are digging trenches themselves, they are laying bricks, they eat roasted Irish potatoes and water for there lunch is the same they do in Uganda , unless if its there country mission to be cheap and overtake USA , i will accept, thanks

by: FeedbackAfrica from: Princeton, New Jersey

July 01, 2013 11:19 AM

U.S. Exports to Tanzania are dominated by machinery, computer products, chemicals and used merchandise. How will President Obama’s visit to Tanzania make a difference? Time will tell.

by: Demitu Wake

July 01, 2013 10:17 AM

President Obama visited the East African nation of Tanzania with BUSINESS IN MIND. It is reported that Tanzania’s growth is 7%. This figure is far less than the double digit growth that the leaders of other East African nation, Ethiopia, are claiming for the past 8 years. Tanzania has half a population size of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is the host for many international and regional organizations including AU. We Ethiopian’s ask: why did not the double digit growth in Ethiopia did not invite President Obama’s tour of ‘BUSINESS IN MIND’?

In Response

by: Demitu Wake

July 03, 2013 7:52 AM

As an Ethiopian I am aware of the problems in Ethiopia. I am also aware that Electric Power is a key. The point of discussion here is business and what is favorable for business. It is true that business in Ethiopia is controlled by the government or companies of the ruling party. But, there are also other favorable conditions in Ethiopia such as work force and market. Ethiopia is the second populous country in Africa and geographically well situated (except that it is landlocked). The issues of human right and democracy have to be left for us, Ethiopians. We will deal with it by our own. We know when to remain silent and when to standup for our rights.

In Response

by: belay from: Ethiopia

July 02, 2013 6:03 AM

My friend, the power sector is the key to modernize a nation so that there will be more consumers for American products and the US has a share of it in Tanzania but in Ethiopia the industry is still in the governments hand. In general almost all the economic sectors are either under the government or Ethiopian private owners. So far, there is no room for American businesses in Ethiopia. That is why Obama is not coming to here. But some funny people dare to say the reason is democracy or human right related. Any ways hope God will keep Americans away from our soil. They are manipulators and it very hard to do business with them.

In Response

by: Diane Strong from: New York City

July 01, 2013 11:47 AM

President Obama's trip to Tanzania is way overdue, and Ethiopia gets far more coverage in the international press than Tanzania does. Every country has its issues, and Tanzania has desperately needed the world's attention. There is growing repression in Tanzania that has been given NO COVERAGE. Trade might be the excuse for the visit, but human rights issues need to be addressed. Why is there always such fierce competition for attention between African nations? This is not the last visit that an American President will make to the region!

Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Fifty years ago, lawmakers approved, and U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The measure outlawed racial discrimination in voting, giving millions of blacks in many parts of the southern United States federal enforcement of the right to vote. Correspondent Chris Simkins introduces us to some civil rights leaders who were on the front lines in the struggle for voting rights.

Video

Billions of dollars of so-called ‘dirty money’ from the proceeds of crime - especially from Russia - are being laundered through the London property market, according to anti-corruption activists. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the British capital, the government has pledged to crack down on the practice.

Video

Ottawa, Illinois, is the hometown of W.D. Boyce, who founded the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. In Ottawa, where Scouting remains an important part of the legacy of the community, the end of the organization's ban on openly gay adult leaders was seen as inevitable. VOA's Kane Farabaugh reports.

Video

Artificial limbs, including the most complex of them – the human hand – are getting more life-like and useful due to constant advances in tiny hydraulic, pneumatic and electric motors called actuators. But now, as VOA’s George Putic reports, scientists in Germany say the future of the prosthetic hand may lie not in motors but in wires that can ‘remember’ their shape.

Video

A British pro-democracy group has accused Russia of abusing the global law enforcement agency Interpol by requesting the arrest and extradition of political opponents. A new report by the group notes such requests can mean the accused are unable to travel and are often unable to open bank accounts. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

Video

Talks on a major new trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim nations are said to be nearing completion in Hawaii. Some trade experts say the "positive atmosphere" at the discussions could mean a deal is within reach, but there is still hard bargaining to be done over many issues and products, including U.S. drugs and Japanese rice. VOA's Jim Randle reports.

Video

Earth is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction. The last such event was caused by an asteroid 66 million years ago. It killed off the dinosaurs and practically everything else. So scientists are in a race against time to classify the estimated 11 million species alive today. So far only 2 million are described by science, and researchers are worried many will disappear before they even have a name. VOA’s Rosanne Skirble reports.

Video

Scientists have long been trying to develop an effective protection and cure for malaria - one of the deadliest diseases that affects people in tropical areas, especially children. As the World Health Organization announces plans to begin clinical trials of a promising new vaccine, scientists in South Africa report that they too are at an important threshold. George Putic reports, they are testing a compound that could be a single-dose cure for malaria.

Video

The latest issue of 'New York' magazine features 35 women who say they were drugged and raped by film and television celebrity Bill Cosby. The women are aged from 44 to 80 and come from different walks of life and races. The magazine interviewed each of them separately, but Zlatica Hoke reports their stories are similar.

Video

The United States is promising not to give up its fight against what Secretary of State John Kerry calls the “scourge” of modern slavery. Officials released the country’s annual human trafficking report Monday – a report that’s being met with some criticism. VOA’s National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin has more from the State Department.

Video

Abandoned more than 50 years ago, the underground streetcar station in Washington D.C.’s historic DuPont Circle district is about to be reborn. The plan calls for turning the spacious underground platforms - once meant to be a transportation hub, - into a unique space for art exhibitions, presentations, concerts and even a film set. Roman Mamonov has more from beneath the streets of the U.S. capital. Joy Wagner narrates his report.

Video

Greece has replaced Italy as the main gateway for migrants into Europe, with more than 100,000 arrivals in the first six months of 2015. Many want to move further into Europe and escape Greece’s economic crisis, but they face widespread dangers on the journey overland through the Balkans. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

Video

After the closure of a major rubbish dump a week ago, the streets of Beirut are filling up with trash. Having failed to draw up a plan B, politicians are struggling to deal with the problem. John Owens has more for VOA from Beirut.

Video

A U.N. climate conference in December aims to produce an ambitious agreement to fight heat-trapping greenhouse gases. But many local governments are not waiting, and have drafted their own climate action plans. That’s the case with Paris — which is getting special attention, since it’s hosting the climate summit. Lisa Bryant takes a look for VOA at the transformation of the French capital into an eco-city.